Machine for decorticating fiber.



0. SHEEHAN.

MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING FIBER. APPLICATION man FEB. 24. 1912.

1,156,103. Patented 001. 12, 1915.

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O. SHEEHAN.

MACHINE FOR DECORTICATING FIBER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 24,19I2.

Patented. Oct. 12, 1915.

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OWEN SHEEHAN, OF NEW IBEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 THE I-IOLLINGS- WORTH 82; VOSE C0,, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

MAGHINEFOR DECORTICATING FIBER,

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 V

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application filed February 24,1912. Serial No. 679,735..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OWEN SHEEHAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Machines for Decorticating Fiber; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a

My invention relates to decorticating machines for disintegrating and cleaning fiber from fibrous plants.

Perhaps the most fatal defect in decortieating machines heretofore used has been the failure of the cleaning rolls thereon to deliver the fiber owing to the tendency of said fiber to wind on said rolls. Various devices have been tried for properly removing the fiber from the rolls, such as scraping bars and small toothed rolls but these devices so cut and tore the fiber that it was not marketable. The pulpy matter separated from the fiber as it is cleaned also has a tendency to adhere to the rolls and, in the old style of machines, would very soon collect in the form of a hard caked mass filling the spaces between the teeth on said cleaning rolls,

thereby impairing the usefulness of the same and sometimes rendering them entirely useless. The only way to avoid the output of an inferior product with these old machines is to repeatedly stop them and clean the pulpy matter from between the teeth. These operations consume a material part of a days working time during which the machine might be running if this cleaning of the rolls were not necessary.

The principal object of this invention is to provide self cleaning decorticating rolls, that is to say, decorticating or fiber cleaning rolls which automatically free themselves from the pulpy matter and also from the fiber as the latter passes through them.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description.

The essential features of the invention are a hollow cleaning roll having longitudinal slots in its periphery, internal fan blades,-

ing the preferred embodiment of my inven- .tion: Figure l is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section taken from end to end of the machine. longitudinal section of one of the cleaning rolls drawn to an enlarged scale, and Fig. 5 is a detailed view of one ofthe lags of the cleaning rolls, illustrating on an enlarged scale the arrangement of the teeth carried thereby.

In carrying out my invention, I employ toothed bars 1 rotatably mounted on one end of the supporting frame 2 of the machine and adjustable by means of a hand lever 3 loosely connected to links 4: rigidly fastened to said bars whereby the latter may be turned to bring their teeth to either a horizontal or vertical position or to any intermediate angle. The teeth 1* on the respective bars 1 are preferably spaced at different distances apart, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, and are designed for splitting leaves, bark, etc., before they pass to the draft rolls and cleaning rolls. I

Pairs of fluted draft rolls 5 and cleaning rolls 6 are arranged in succession on the frame of the machine, the draft rolls being placed between the combs or toothed bars 1 and the cleaning rolls. Each of said cleaning rolls preferably comprises two diskhaped heads 'I suitably keyed or otherwise secured to revolve with the shaft 8, and spaced apart lags 9 bolted or otherwise secured to flanges 10 on said heads. The relative width of the spaces or slots 11 between the lags as compared with the width of the lags themselves is important as, in practice,

it has been found that the narrower the slot the greateris the force of the outward air current through them. I have found that in a roll twelve inches 'indiameter, a slot one inch wide and a lag. about four inches wide gives the best results.

A plurality of rows of teeth 12 are set in the outer surface of each lag and preferably inclined away from the direction of movement of the roll. Six rows of teeth, as shown in Fig. "5, give eacellent results when Fig. 4: is a central or decorticated.

Vithin each of the cleaning rolls are arranged a plurality of fan blades 13, one for each lag. Said fan blades extend longitudinally of the roll, their ends terminating adjacent to the opposite heads thereof. The plane of each blade does not coincide with any radius of the roll but is rather arranged obliquely thereto, its inner edge being advanced beyond the radius which cuts the adjacent edge of the corresponding lag when the outer edge of said blade is arranged at that point, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The fan blades, however, are adjustable to other positions with respect to the lags, being all mounted on spokes ll radiating from hubs 15 adjustably secured by means of set screws 17 to the shaft 8. l levertheless the preferable position of said fan blades is hat illustrated namely, arranged at the edges of the respective lags facing the direction of motion of the roll.

It will be noted that the fan blades and lags partially inclose air chambers 18 each having an outlet through one of the slots 11 at or near its outer corner farther removed from the direction of motion of the roll. When the roll is revolved, the air in these chambers 18 is forced out through the slots 11 by the fan blades. A new supply of air is drawn into the chambers 18 through openings 19 in the heads of the roll, thus making a continuous current of air while said roll is rotating. Said openings 19 are located between tae centers of the heads and the inner edges of the fan blades, leaving the portions of said heads between said fan blades imperforate and thereby maintaining the proper action of the air currents which are discharged from the slots in the rolls with sufficient force to prevent the fiber and also the pulpy matter from adhering to said rolls.

A clearing reel or take off 20 is mounted at the delivery end of the machine and is revolved at suflicient speed to take the fiber from the cleaning rolls and lay it on the floor. Any suitable driving mechanism for the two pairs of rolls and reel may be provided. In the drawing I have illustrated a main driving shaft 21 extending across the machine below the toothed bars and carrying a drive pulley 22 on one end and sprocket wheel 23 on its other end. Said driving shaft also carries a small gear 24 meshing with. a large gear 25 on the shaft of the lower driving roll. The sprocket wheel 23 is connected by a chain 26 with the of 2.

pair of integral or interlocked idle sprocket wheels 27. The other one of said idle sprocket wheels is connected by a similar sprocket chain 28 with a sprocket wheel 29 on the upper cleaning roll. By employing said pair of removable idle sprocket wheels, it will be seen that the speed of the cleaning rolls may be varied by substituting another pair of sprocket wheels of different ratio. Another sarocket chain 30 connects a sprocket w 1eel 31 on the end of the lower draft roll and a sprocket wheel 32 on the clearing reel for driving the latter.

The upper and lower cleaning rolls carry intermeshing gears 33 made with extra long teeth permitting the upper roll to rise some distance away from the lower roll without disengaging said gears. The two draft rolls carry gears 34L made in the same way and for the same purpose. It will be observed that the upper roll of each pair has its bearings cushioned below springs 35 whereby they may yield away from their companion rolls, if necessary, when the fiber is passing through the machine. It will also be noted that the ratios of the various sprocket wheels and driving gears are such as to cause the cleaning rolls to revolve at a greaterspeed than the draft rolls whereby the teeth carried by said cleaning rolls are enabled to perform their function of cutting away the pulpy matter from the fiber as the latter is fed between them by the draft rolls. In the lowest position of the upper cleaning roll its teeth are spaced away from those of the lower cleaning rcll so that said teeth will not mutilate the fiber.

lt claim:

1. In a machine of the character de scribed, a hollow cleaning roll-having longitudinal. slots in its periphery, openings in its heads, fan blades arranged interiorly thereof and secured to revolve therewith, and means to adjust said fan blades with respect to said longitudinal slots.

In a machine of the character described, a hollow cleaning roll having longitudinal slots in its periphery, openings in its heads, and fan blades arranged interiorly thereof, each of said blades being positioned obliquely to the radius of the roll which cuts its outer edge, and having its inner edge advanced in the direction of rotation of said roll. v

3. In a machine of the character described, a hollow cleaning roll having longi tudinal slots in its periphery and openings in its heads, a hub arranged within said roll, fan blades mounted on said hub also within the roll, and adjustable means for securing said hub whereby said fan blades may be positioned at various points with respect to said longitudinal slots.

l. In a machine of the character described, a hollow cleaning roll having longi tudinal slots in its periphery and openings In testimony whereof, I aflix my signain its heiads, 51 shaft edxtending through the ture, in presence of two witnesses.

center 0 sai r011 an to which the latter is secured, a hub mounted on said shaft OWEN SHEEHAN' Within the roll, fan blades attached to the Witnesses:v

hub also within the roll, and adjustable JENNIE L. POTTER,

means for securing said hub to said shaft. GEO. H. POTTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. 

